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Friday, February 7, 2014

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 53

Joining Jen, per usual. (As an aside, pretty much every time I type "Conversion Diary"

1. Yesterday was one of those days. Ladies, I'm sure you know them. Guys, I know that you are flummoxed when the ladies in your life have them. It was one of those days when a tiny bit of tired mixes with hormones, mixes with life. The emotions well up. Everything suddenly seems about 10 million times bigger than it is. Maybe it spills out at tears or screams. Maybe it comes out some other way. But when it spills, it spills. It was a long day, but I felt about a million times better after a good cry. Yep, it's official: this pregnancy has me more emotional than the last!

2. On top of it, Clare decided that she didn't need a nap. No Nap Nellie talked in her crib for 45 minutes and then started crying hysterically. After I saved her, she maintained a decent mood in spite of herself until dinner. Then, she threw her food all over the floor and was a bit more up and down the rest of the evening. She went to bed early and went right to sleep. Exhausted. Surprise, surprise! Yet, even at my most frustrated, my heart just melts when she smiles at me or hugs me. Toddlerhood is going to do me in, I tell ya!

Good thing she's cute

3. I CANNOT wait for tonight's Opening Ceremonies. This is what I'll be wearing tonight. No, it does not exactly fit over my belly these days, but I am not too concerned with impressing the cable box. It was a Christmas present from my sweet hubby. He clearly knows me too well.

4. I was delighted last night that NBC actually broadcast some of the
competition that takes place before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Thank you figure skating team competition. I like that NBC is not being an ostrich about things like the internet, the time difference to Russia, etc. Gobs of live streaming. Lots of daytime coverage, even of big ticket events. Being upfront about those things during the prime time broadcast. This is the first Olympics I feel like they've really embraced those realities. I am also happy so far with NBC's touching on political issues -- which might be the most interesting part of these Games. True story: I wrote a paper on the Olympics and the Cold War. I want to eventually turn some of those thoughts into a post, but I want to see what transpires as the Olympics progress, lest this turn into an all-Olympics-all-the-time blog for a couple of weeks. I also must confess to having gotten teary-eyed 30 seconds into last night's broadcast during the tape of the Closing Ceremonies from Vancouver with the call to Sochi in 2014. Stopping now . . .

5. Random upshot of Russian Olympics: chance to brush up on my extraordinarily dusty ability to pronounce Russian. I can't remember much beyond, "What's that?," so I make no claim at speaking Russian, but being able to "read" that darn Cyrillic is still a fun stupid human trick.

6. Wednesday, Clare and I spent the morning with my cousin and her kids, who had the day off for teachers' professional development. We had the best day. Clare has been talking about her cousins since we left, listing them off by name, and especially enamored with "Livia." Our main activity was making and decorating frosted sugar cookies "for Valentine's Day." It was Clare's first opportunity to get her hands dirty (literally) in the baking department. She was a natural at the eating part, but still has a way to go on the decorating part.

What? You're not supposed to lick the frosting off as you go?

7. 32 weeks!! Things are getting real y'all. This week, we passed the "2 months to my due date" mark. Mr. Man has been having quite the dance party in my belly the last couple of days. I really think I'm in for. I just hold out hope that he's at least a good sleeper!!